The five-year-old was abducted from near her mid-Wales home at around 7pm on Monday and hundreds of people have joined the search for the missing youngster.

Superintendent Ian John of Dyfed Powys Police warned of the "challenging conditions" facing search and rescue teams and asked members of the public to leave today's search to "members of our trained and skilled teams".

A 46-year-old man, named locally as Mark Bridger, remains in police custody after being arrested yesterday on suspicion of abduction. He is known to April's mother Coral and father Paul.

Last night in a statement her family said they had been left "shattered" by the abduction.

Mr John said police and a mountain rescue team had carried out "systematic and methodical" searches around Machynlleth throughout the night.

Police are now expecting intelligence arising from interviews with the man in custody to drive the search operation, he added.

Commenting on the enthusiastic help from volunteers in the search effort, he asked for the hunt to now be left to the police.

Member of the coastguard search near a road for missing school girl April Jones

He said: "I need people to know it is a rural environment, very challenging conditions out there. The weather yesterday wasn't great and I don't think the forecast is very good for today.

"The River Dyfi is in flood and we really do need to manage the risk of everybody there, not only the police officers, the mountain rescue team, but we are extremely concerned about large numbers of members of the public going into what I have said are very challenging conditions.

"So what I am asking really is, notwithstanding the great support and the commitment that people want to show in helping us to find April, can we please leave this now to the trained and skilled people that we have.

"I don't want those officers to be distracted by the well-intentioned and enthusiastic support," he added.

Police search efforts are continuing to concentrate on areas around the market town today.

Mr John said experience suggested any breakthrough in the search for the missing five-year-old would be at a local level.

April was last seen playing with friends on the Bryn-y-Gog estate close to where she lived in Machynlleth.

"It is likely that we are going to find somebody in the search parameter where she was last seen," Mr John said.

Asked where the focus of the search is at this stage in the investigation, Mr John said: "What we did last night, we identified a number of key areas and the search teams were tasked with going through those.

"I am sure you can all appreciate that it is a difficult environment to be working in and we want to make sure we are doing this methodically and systematically, so that if there is something there that is going to help us to find April we can do that."

He said some of the key areas may be re-visited today and added that the search is still centred on the Machynlleth area.

Labour leader Ed Miliband told BBC1's Breakfast: "My heart goes out to the family of April Jones and obviously I hope there can be a successful outcome to the search for her."

Mr Bridger, reported to be a former soldier who worked in the area as a swimming pool lifeguard, was arrested late yesterday afternoon.

He was found walking along a road to the north of Machynlleth by a police patrol.

Mr John said today that officers remain hopeful of finding April alive and well.

Last night they renewed an appeal for anyone with information regarding her whereabouts to come forward.

Mr John said the results of the forensic examination of Mr Bridger's vehicle had been "fast-tracked".

That vehicle has been confirmed to be a lefthand-drive Land Rover Discovery matching the description previously issued by officers.

April is said to have willingly got in to the driver's side of such a vehicle, suggesting it was a lefthand-drive.

Police are also looking closely at CCTV footage which may contain a clue as to where April's abductor went after leaving the estate.

While no public CCTV cameras are available to the police, private footage from cameras at garages, supermarkets and other outlets is available.